On Tuesday, Kathie Lee Gifford got one of the biggest promotions life has to offer: She went from “mom” to “grandma.”
It was a bit of a whirlwind, with expectant parents Cody and Erika Gifford rushing to the hospital three weeks earlier than anticipated after Erika’s water broke.
According to what Kathie Lee told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show Wednesday, the family knew the baby was large, but they decided to wait until birth to find out if they were having a boy or a girl.
“They did it the old-fashioned way; they wanted to be surprised,” said Kathie Lee, 68.
My heart is bursting! pic.twitter.com/aqO7gbk1QI
— Kathie Lee Gifford (@KathieLGifford) June 1, 2022
And on Tuesday, that secret was revealed: A healthy, 8 1/2-pound baby boy entered the world, blessed with a caring family and named after the late Frank Gifford, the baby’s grandfather and the father of Cody and husband of Kathie Lee.
Frank Gifford, a legendary NFL player and broadcaster, died in 2015 at the age of 84. But Tuesday was a happy occasion for the Gifford family.
“My heart is bursting!” Kathie Lee tweeted on Wednesday.
“Best day of our lives,” Erika Gifford posted on Instagram the day after her son’s arrival. “At a whopping 8lbs 8oz three weeks early, Frank Michael Gifford, ‘Frankie’ has changed our lives forever.
“We have not stopped bursting with so much love and gratitude for God’s most precious gifft. Thank you so much to all of you for your prayers and sweet messages. He’s so SO cute and we can’t get enough of all of the snuggles from this lil’ guy. We are sincerely obsessed.
“Frank ‘Frankie’ after C’s pops & Michael after my uncle who passed away last year at 61 whose name also means ‘gift of God.’
“Two strong men — gone but never forgotten.”
Because the baby arrived early, Kathie Lee wasn’t able to be there waiting to meet the baby who made her a grandma, but she’s certainly fast-tracking plans to get there now.
The proud grandmother also pointed out that perhaps it was providential that the not-so-little guy arrived when he did.
“That baby came just when God wanted it to,” Kathie Lee said, per Today. “Erika was a rock star; Cody never left her side.
“You know, had he cooked for three more weeks, that child would have been like a 12-pounder.”
She also said that everyone is doing well.
“And so I’m so thrilled that, that Erika came through so well,” she continued. “That baby is nursing already and getting all the colostrum he needs, and Cody just started to bawl like the baby he used to be … and we’re just all thrilled.”
Along with not knowing if she’d have a grandson or granddaughter, Kathie Lee said the name choice was a surprise as well.
“I didn’t know what they were gonna name him — I was surprised Cody named him after his dad,” she said. “Cody (now 32) knew what it was like to grow up in the shadow of a great man. But I guess he’s … never gotten over, really, and he never will, the loss of his dad at an early age.”
What greater miracle is there than the miracle of life? I cannot contain my joy. Thank you God for the gift of little Frank Michael Gifford. 8 lbs. 8 oz. of sheer beauty pic.twitter.com/yDjlzDIeB9
— Kathie Lee Gifford (@KathieLGifford) June 1, 2022
Kathie Lee also revealed that she’d selected her all-important “grandma” name: a variant of “Bubbie,” a Yiddish term of endearment that means “dearest one” or “cherished one.”
“We’re just so grateful to God,” Kathie Lee said. “Is there a greater miracle in the entire world than the birth of a child? Show me, show me, a bigger one, a better one, a sweeter one.”
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